PCC Dual Enrollment Ecology / Ferguson ~ Final Exam Study Guide

The exam may contain a combination of multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill-in-theblank, short answer, and essay questions. It will cover the content that we went over
during this semester of study with approximately 50% of the material from the first 3 units
and 50% from the most recent unit of study.
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Daily Warm-Up Exercises

Review your answers to the daily warm-up exercises. Several of them will appear on
the exam.
Midterm Exams 1, 2, and 3 (50%)
- Review your answers to the first three midterm exams, as some of the content and
material will be on the final exam.

Recent Assignments Worthy of Review (50%)

Lichen Introduction Webquest
What is a Plant? Inquiry Activity
Lichen ID Lab
- Know morphology and major growth forms
4.
Chapter 10 Reading Assignment
5.
Planet Earth Seasonal Forests / Jungles Video Questions
6.
Lichen Diversity Field Study
- Know calculations and how to interpret data from a transect grid
7. Ch. 10: Sustaining Biodiversity Guided Notes
8. Planet Earth: Into the Wilderness Video Questions
9. Forest Conflict Role Playing Game
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2.
3.

10. Synthesis Questions from your Current Event Article Reflections. Use specific
examples from your current event articles as much as possible.
- Are general news publications unbiased in their reporting? Should they be? Discuss.
- Are environmental organizations publications unbiased? Should they be? Discuss.
- Do most articles about environmental problems suggest solutions? Should they? Discuss.
- Even experts frequently disagree. If opposite sides of an environmental issue both
seem to have good arguments and believable experts supporting them, how would you
decide on which side to base your actions?
- Do the general news publications and broadcast media seem to go in depth, or do they
just do superficial coverage of environmental issues? If they do superficial coverage, what
can one do to find out more?
- Discuss the idea that understanding leads to concern, which leads to involvement, which
leads to more understanding, which leads to more concern, and so on.
- There is a story that when ostriches see predators approaching, they hide their heads in
the sand because they think that if they dont see the predator it wont hurt them. Some
people seem to take the attitude that What I dont know wont hurt me with regard to
environmental issues. What do you think of this?
- Discuss the idea of Think globally, act locally.
11. Essay Question:
- Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in
ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in
stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
In your evaluation you may want to mention concepts that you know such as predatorprey relationships, primary or secondary succession, invasive species, clear-cutting,
symbiotic relationships, global climate change, nutrient cycle disruption, etc. Use specific
examples to make your points. Examples of changes in ecosystem conditions could
include modest biological or physical changes, such as moderate hunting or a seasonal
flood; and extreme changes, such as volcanic eruption or sea level rise.